1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to wildlife feeders, and in particular to feeders capable of dispensing powdery feeds such as rice bran.
2. Brief Description of the Related Art
The use of feed for the hunting of large game animals, such as deer, elk, and the like, is well known. By feeding game animals at a stationary location over a period of time, the game animals become accustomed to the presence of food, and will return to the area regularly for feeding. The hunter can then choose a hunting position near the feeding area, thereby increasing the likelihood of a desirable game animal approaching within the effective range of the hunter's weapon.
The simplest method of feeding game animals is to periodically dispense the feed onto the ground by hand. Game animals, however, have a strong sense of smell and are highly adverse to human scent, and thus it is undesirable to return to the feeding area for food replenishment on a frequent basis. Also, food dispensed upon the ground may be eaten by birds and smaller animals before the game animals arrive, thereby defeating the purpose of dispensing the feed. For these reasons, a number of feeders with various types of hopper arrangements have been developed. Such devices may be set up and left unattended for a significant period of time before replenishment is necessary. Some feeders operate with a gravity-feed mechanism; for example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,578,517 to Borries teaches a game animal feeder with an internal baffle to mitigate flow through the gravity feed mechanism. Likewise, U.S. Pat. No. 6,571,734 to Finklea teaches a gravity-feed wild game feeder with a series of channels that lead to feed ports at the base of the device. Other wild game feeders are motorized, and may be controlled by a timer in order to dispense a controlled amount of feed on a periodic basis. Such devices are often arranged to hang from a tree or an attached stand in order to distribute feed onto the ground below. U.S. Pat. No. 6,814,029 to Chesser teaches a motorized deer feeder mechanism in this category.
Wild game feeders, whether using gravity-feed or a motorized-feed dispersal system, are generally optimized to dispense a pelletized or granular feed. Commercially produced deer feed, for example, is commonly available in a pelletized form, which is ideal for dispersal through the types of wild game feeders discussed above. Corn is also commonly used as a wild game animal feed, and, like feed pellets, is highly granular in form. The inventor has found, however, that these wild game feeders will not reliably feed powdery feed materials, such as rice bran. It has been recognized that rice bran is a superior game animal feed in a number of respects. Rice bran is considered more nutritious than corn, providing a typical yield of 12% protein, 12% fat, and 12% fiber. The powdery nature of rice bran, however, will cause the usual type of commercial game feeders to clog, failing to dispense the material and thus defeating the desired purpose of attracting game animals. It would therefore be desirable to develop a wildlife feeder that was capable of dispensing powdery feeds such as rice bran. These limitations of the prior art are overcome by the present invention as described below.